Relax the face!

While practicing Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose) my second favorite instructor noticed several people with a look of distress on their faces. While we rotated our hips outward and concentrated on pulling our buttock into the same plane as our legs, many of us felt extremely challenged and overly exerted. The instructor reminded us that to be in pain or to be in a state of extreme discomfort is passing judgement on a feeling, and that it was important to not judge a sensation to be pain or pleasure. While i take issue with the pleasure piece of that statement, he further expained that "It is impossible to move directly from a state of stress and pain into a state of enlightenment". That piece struck a chord with me. Being in the midst of all the political tension in a presidential election season--the lesson there for me was to be ready to move in a positive direction by preparing and not judging and not allowing ourselves to be venomous when we really want peace.